Christmas Traditions (Weihnachten) in Portland
Written by Eleanor Lake
I remember all of the church members (that could) walking to church and the dimming of the church lights when the congregation sang Stille Nacht on Christmas Eve. There were no church bands, though.
Our church had Christmas programs with memorized "pieces." We walked to church in those days. The majority of our church members lived only a few blocks away. It wasn't until the late 1940s, after WWII, that cars were available for transportation and city walking lessened. Many old people died, and their daughters learned to drive. There was a surge in Sunday School growth as more children were born.
Way back, we kids in Sunday School memorized "pieces." The piece was a poem or a story assigned about a month before. Our job was to recite it in German or English before the always-packed church. I don't think our Sunday School started pageants with costumes and different age singing groups until the 1950s. At the end of the program, a red net stocking with oranges, apples, and hard candy - was given to each Sunday School child. Later, one generous member donated a box of chocolates for each senior choir member.
Our church had Christmas programs with memorized "pieces." We walked to church in those days. The majority of our church members lived only a few blocks away. It wasn't until the late 1940s, after WWII, that cars were available for transportation and city walking lessened. Many old people died, and their daughters learned to drive. There was a surge in Sunday School growth as more children were born.
Way back, we kids in Sunday School memorized "pieces." The piece was a poem or a story assigned about a month before. Our job was to recite it in German or English before the always-packed church. I don't think our Sunday School started pageants with costumes and different age singing groups until the 1950s. At the end of the program, a red net stocking with oranges, apples, and hard candy - was given to each Sunday School child. Later, one generous member donated a box of chocolates for each senior choir member.
Until German was done away with in the church services, the Christmas hymns sung during the program alternated between English and German. Later, when all was in English, I remember a Christmas Eve when a new minister, having a flash of inspiration, looked at the old people in the congregation and announced that we'd all sing, Oh, du Fröhliche, Oh, du Selige. There was the usual rustling as the congregation stood up, and then, surprising the little kids, tears came to the eyes of the old people as they sang. Handkerchiefs suddenly appeared.
In Oregon, you could obtain federal tree-cutting permits. After WWII, several men in our family would get together on a December weekend and go up to a nearby mountain (federal land), chopping down one tree for each family. Their borrowed truck got stuck almost irretrievably in the snow the last time they went. When they finally got out, there was a unanimous decision that each family could afford the $1 or $2 for a "boughten tree" from a neighborhood lot.
After the Christmas Eve church service, we all gathered at a family member's home. Gifts were exchanged. When the family size had increased, they changed to drawing names for gifts. A favorite recipe potluck meal was always included.
Christmas Day featured another church service, but it was attended mainly by adults and a few children.
Perhaps we city folk changed faster than people raised in the country. My family is widely scattered. The church building was eventually sold to another congregation, and a new one for the church members was built in the suburbs. Many years on, we now celebrate Christmas quietly spread across many states. Hopefully, churches somewhere still have the old Christmas traditions. But then, I think I'd miss those old people. I still remember those who carried on traditions in a new church in a country far from where they were born.
In Oregon, you could obtain federal tree-cutting permits. After WWII, several men in our family would get together on a December weekend and go up to a nearby mountain (federal land), chopping down one tree for each family. Their borrowed truck got stuck almost irretrievably in the snow the last time they went. When they finally got out, there was a unanimous decision that each family could afford the $1 or $2 for a "boughten tree" from a neighborhood lot.
After the Christmas Eve church service, we all gathered at a family member's home. Gifts were exchanged. When the family size had increased, they changed to drawing names for gifts. A favorite recipe potluck meal was always included.
Christmas Day featured another church service, but it was attended mainly by adults and a few children.
Perhaps we city folk changed faster than people raised in the country. My family is widely scattered. The church building was eventually sold to another congregation, and a new one for the church members was built in the suburbs. Many years on, we now celebrate Christmas quietly spread across many states. Hopefully, churches somewhere still have the old Christmas traditions. But then, I think I'd miss those old people. I still remember those who carried on traditions in a new church in a country far from where they were born.
Source
Story written by Eleanor Lake and published on this website with her permission. Edited for clarity.
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Last updated October 25, 2023